Album of the Day

X was INXS' seventh studio album, but for you Roman numeral enthusiasts, the title also represents 10 years since their debut. The decade between had seen the Australian band rise to international superstardom thanks to preceding collection KICK, and the 1990 follow-up delivers similar musical kicks. Back behind the console one more time, producer Chris Thomas brought the sextet to the new Rhinoceros studio in Sydney, where they came up with 11 radio-ready originals including Top 10 hits “Disappear” and “Suicide Blonde” (one of three tracks featuring blues-harp great Charlie Musselwhite). While the performances are uniformly strong across this double-Platinum set, Michael Hutchence's exuberant vocals merit special mention, and X still marks the spot for danceable rock with soul and hooks to burn.